


Pumpkin Carving 101

by artiowritestrash



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Ben Solo/Rey - Freeform, Ben is a really good boyfriend, F/M, Fluff, Halloween, Kissing, Lets get spooky, One Shot, Pumpkin carving, Reylo - Freeform, SO MUCH FLUFF, Star Wars - Freeform, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-08
Updated: 2019-09-08
Packaged: 2020-10-12 19:40:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,749
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20569793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artiowritestrash/pseuds/artiowritestrash
Summary: “Let me get this straight… You’ve never carved a pumpkin in your twenty three years of life?” Ben stared at her, disbelief in his warm, brown eyes. His girlfriend shook her head again, sipping on her Chai tea latte.She couldn’t be serious right now? His Rey. His sweet, bright, larger-than-life Rey had been robbed of a cornerstone experience!





	Pumpkin Carving 101

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! 
> 
> Here is a sweet little one shot because it is time to get spooky!
> 
> Thank you to my wifey, here4thereylo for beta'ing this for me. Also, big thanks to Toki for helping as well!

“Let me get this straight… You’ve never carved a pumpkin in your twenty three years of life?” Ben stared at her, disbelief in his warm, brown eyes. His girlfriend shook her head again, sipping on her Chai tea latte before answering him.

“I don’t see why this is such a big deal to you..Really. When I was in foster care we didn’t really do anything for the holidays. I think I went trick-or-treating...once? Pretty sure I didn’t even wear a costume,” Rey shrugged, setting down her cup in favor of picking at her chocolate croissant. 

She couldn’t be serious right now? His Rey. His sweet, bright, larger-than-life Rey had been robbed of a cornerstone experience!

Ben groaned, shaking his head. “No… No, no, no, no!  _ Rey! _ That is like, a basic right as a child! You go to the pumpkin patch and find the perfect one to carve! You drink cider, roast marshmallows. It’s a whole thing!” He looked at her with wide eyes, clearly mourning her loss of experience.

He had taken it upon himself since they had started dating—almost a year ago now—to make up for those experiences. Ben had taken her to buy and decorate her first Christmas tree. He had taken her to his family’s home for her first ever Christmas dinner. He’d been the one to give her her first New Year’s kiss, first Valentine’s gift, and a number of other firsts. 

If they had been together last Halloween, he would have already rectified the current situation, but they had only started dating at the beginning of November so there hadn’t been a chance until now. 

“We’re going to fix this!” Ben declared. He stood suddenly, meeting Rey’s soft hazel eyes. Rey reached forward and caught his hand.

“Ben, you haven’t even finished your cappuccino. Sit down. We have plenty of time for pumpkin carving or whatever. Halloween isn’t for another week,” She sighed, giving his hand a squeeze as he reluctantly sat back down, pouting. 

“Besides, we were supposed to go to the museum today,” Rey reminded him, sipping slowly on her latte. 

“The museum is here all the time! If we don’t go to the pumpkin patch soon, we’re not going to get a good one,” Ben stressed, brows knitting together as he looked at her over the rim of his cup. 

“There will be plenty of pumpkins left, I’m sure,” She said with a shrug, clearly not understanding that this was a big deal. “It's only Tuesday.”

“That isn’t how it works, Rey! Pumpkin carving is serious business,” Ben almost whined, like a petulant child who had just been denied a trip to the candy store.

Rey laughed, shaking her head as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. “You really take this seriously, huh?”

“Halloween traditions aren’t a joke, Rey,” He huffed.

“I’m not saying they are! Look, let’s go to the museum and I promise, we will make a day out of whatever traditions you have. Okay?” She suggested, waiting for his nod before turning her attention back to her croissant.

While the museum was  _ not _ the pumpkin patch and they left with a print instead of the perfect carving pumpkin, they had a good time.

They always did when they were together. Rey had a knack for getting him to relax in a way that no one else did. She was his ball of sunshine—being with her left a warmth in his chest that rivaled the coziest fireside on a cool fall night.

However, it didn’t keep Ben from planning their next little excursion. 

That night, after Ben fucked Rey silly and she was sleeping soundly beside him, he looked up the best pumpkin patches in the area. They were going to have to go outside of Brooklyn to Green Meadows Farm, but it was  _ the _ place to go for pumpkins. 

Ben made sure to pick up two good pumpkin carving kits, not the little cheapo ones they sold at the drugstore, all the necessary items for smores, and a jug of apple cider from the farmer’s market after work the next day. 

By the time the weekend rolled around, Ben was more than prepared. 

He set up his large balcony area for the occasion. Ben strung fairy lights, creating their own stars for the evening to come. He set up a folding table, complete with one of those party table cloths covered in little bats, and put out the carving kits. 

The fire pit was set up and wood stacked beside it. All that was left was to acquire the perfect pair of pumpkins. 

“Arlight, Rey, are you ready?” Ben asked for what must have been the fourth time that morning.

“Yeah, love. I’m ready.” She laughed, tying her scarf around her neck and pulling on her light military jacket. 

“Sorry, I’m just excited! You’ve never done this before and we’re doing it together!” He moved over to her, wrapping his arms around her waist and drawing him closer to his larger form. Rey smiled up at him, her hands moving to rest lightly on his shoulders.

“You’re so adorable when you get excited about this kind of stuff.” Rey hummed, rising up on her tiptoes to give him a kiss. Soft and sweet.

Ben felt his cheeks flush and he ducked his head, pressing his forehead to hers, “I just like sharing these things with you. I want you to experience everything you never had.” He told her softly, his voice crackling between them like a fire.

“And I love that about you.” She replied, pressing another kiss to his lips, this one a little more heated than the last.

“Keep that up, sweetheart, and we won’t be going anywhere.” Ben growled, nipping gently at her bottom lip before releasing her. 

“Alright, I’ll behave. Now where is this place with the magical pumpkins?” Rey sighed, taking his hand as he began to lead her towards the car.

***

The drive to the farm was pleasant. Traffic was bearable, hardly adding any time to their trip and Rey kept them both entertained with her one woman car concert. 

It was just after one o’clock when they got there and the sun was high in the sky, streaming down through the patchwork clouds and warming the crisp fall air around them. 

Ben entwined their fingers as they strolled among the families that were looking for their own pumpkins. “Alright, so what makes the perfect pumpkin? Teach me your ways.” Rey laughed as Ben collected one of the wagons near the entrance for hauling their pumpkins. 

“There are five rules when picking the perfect pumpkin.” He began, kneeling down to examine one. “First, you want one that sits flat. Unless you want it to be crooked, but flat is typically better.” Ben stood back up, leading her towards the larger pumpkins. 

“Second, you want it to be the same color all the way around. Third, no bruises, scratches, or dark spots. That means its bad and will rot really fast.” Ben picked up one of the larger pumpkins, tapping it and listening for a hollow sound. “Four, you want it to have a hollow sound when you tap it. That means it is sturdy.” He placed the pumpkin he was holding into the wagon. “Finally, you want to make sure that there is a smooth area that you can put your face on.” 

Rey watched him with a grin the whole time, arms crossed, “You really do take this seriously.” She said shaking her head as she knelt down to examine the pumpkins. Rey picked up a shorter pumpkin, tapping it the way Ben had his, listening for a hollow sound.

“What about this one?” She asked, holding the pumpkin up to him with a bit of effort. Ben took it, brows drawn together as he examined it. He frowned as he noticed a dark spot around the stem. 

“This one isn’t the best choice. It has a bad spot, but the one next to it looks like it might be a good candidate.” Ben suggested, setting the gourd back down on the ground. 

Rey picked up the one beside it, repeating the process and checking it more thoroughly this time. “I think I’ve got a good one!” She exclaimed, holding the pumpkin close with both arms, having to lean back to support the weight of the fruit. 

He smiled brightly at her, taking the pumpkin from her and placing it into the wagon. 

“I told you we would find pumpkins still.” She teased, bumping into his side as they headed towards the front to pay for their finds. 

***

Ben placed their pumpkins onto the table with a couple of sharpies so they could draw their desired faces. Rey came out moments later, eyes going wide as she paused in the doorway to the porch.

“Ben… You really outdid yourself.” She breathed, turning a slow circle as she took in the lights, the crackling fire, and the tray of goodies and cider Ben had sent out for them. 

“I told you, pumpkin carving is serious business. Welcome to pumpkin carving 101!” Ben said, taking her hand and leading her over to the table. 

Rey took a seat at the table, picking up a sharpie, “Alright then, Mr. Solo, teach me how to carve this damn thing!” She said, her smile brighter than all the stars, lights, and flame from the fire combined. 

“First things first, you have to sketch out the face you want. Try to avoid a lot of spikes. Like, if you want to do fangs, do big ones. Not a bunch of tiny ones. Otherwise, it will be too hard to cut out and will be more prone to breaking.” He explained, sitting down beside her and taking up his own marker. 

“Also, think about what you want to cut out. The light is going to come through those holes. So if you give the eyes pupils, you would cut around the pupils. Got it?” Ben asked, straddling the bench as he faced her. Rey pursed her lips, regarding her pumpkin critically. 

“I think so.” She said after a moment, finally uncapping her marker and beginning to draw a face.

“I find it helpful to kind of color in the part I plan to cut out.” He suggested, already starting on his own face. He went for the traditional triangle eyes but put angry eyebrows above them to make it look more scary. Then, instead of the usual square teeth, he did two vampire fangs protruding from the top of the mouth into the open space of its gaping smile.

Ben glanced over to check on Rey’s progress, smiling at the face she had drawn onto her own pumpkin. It was probably the most traditional jack-o-lantern face out there. A wide grin with a few square teeth, a triangle nose, and two triangle eyes that were turned on their sides. The overall effect was rather cute and Ben couldn’t help but think it fit her perfectly. 

“How’s that?” She asked, turning her pumpkin towards him so he could get a better look.

“Perfect! Now for the fun part.” He said, quickly drawing out a circle with a notch on the top of each of their pumpkins around the stem as a guideline. 

“What’s that?” Rey watched him with an arched brow as he carefully cut the tops of both of their pumpkins, pulling them out and placing them onto the table.

“We get to clean them out! We have to scoop out all of the guts and seeds so we can actually carve them.” Ben passed her a slightly curved scraper that was perfect for going along the walls of the pumpkin. 

She climbed onto her knees, looking inside of her pumpkin with a slight frown, “It looks slimy.” Rey commented, tentatively reaching inside with her tool and scraping it down the inside. “Oh! It is slimy!” She exclaimed, wrinkling her nose. 

“Yeah, it is pretty slimy, but worth it. We can save some of the seeds and roast them later.” He said, already rolling up the sleeve of his flannel and beginning to clean the guts from the inside of his pumpkin with ease. 

Soon, there was a large pile of pulp and seeds on the table between them. It took about fifteen minutes, but eventually Ben declared them clean enough to carve. 

“Alright, so now that they are clean, we spray the insides with bleach so they stay fresh longer. Thankfully, it is pretty cool here, so they won’t rot really fast.” Ben said as he grabbed the spray bottle of bleach. 

“Why don’t you go sit by the fire. We can have some of the cider and smores while these dry.” He suggested, waiting for Rey to clear the area before he sprayed down the inside of each pumpkin.

Once finished, he joined her, pouring himself some cider from the thermos and sipping slowly. Rey settled against his side, tucking herself under his arm. “Do you do this every year?” She asked, resting her head on his shoulder.

“I used to. It has been a few years, but it is one of my favorite things to do with Halloween. My parents and I used to do it every year when I was growing up. Right up until I left for college.” He glanced down at her, watching the firelight flicker across her golden skin. 

“That’s really sweet. I didn’t even know what Halloween was for the longest time. I never celebrated or went trick-or-treating or anything like that.” She murmured softly, her voice mixing with the crackling of the burning wood, creating a sweet symphony of sound. 

“Do you want to?” He asked, his thumb brushing her shoulder as he held her to his warm body.

“Want to what?” She replied, taking a drink of cider.

“Celebrate.” Ben answered, meeting her eyes as she tilted her face up towards him.

“Isn’t that what we are doing now?” Rey asked, brows knitting together in that way he found to be endearing. 

He laughed, the sound rumbling deep in his chest, “No, not exactly. We could do something. Go to a party or go out dancing. Hell, I’d even take you trick-or-treating if you wanted me to.” 

“Seriously? You would do that?” She pulled back to look at him, eyes widening slightly in surprise.

“If that’s what you want.” Ben reached forward to brush a strand of hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear, “I’ll give you whatever experience you want. All you have to do is ask.” 

Rey leaned into his touch, her smile soft and just for him. “Will you dress up?” She asked, the light in her eyes dancing like the fire danced across the logs. 

“Without hesitation.” He said sincerely, using his free hand to cross his heart.

“I might take you up on that.” Rey hummed, tucking herself back into his side. 

They spent the next thirty minutes or so finishing off their cider and feeding each other gooey bites of smores, making a complete mess of each other as they traded marshmallow sticky kisses that tasted like chocolate and burnt sugar. 

Eventually, they untangle themselves from each other to finish their pumpkins. 

“Alright, this is a little secret that my uncle Luke taught me.” Ben said, producing a shaker of cinnamon. “You sprinkle this inside so when you burn the candle, it’ll smell like pumpkin pie.” He explained, sprinkling a liberal amount of the spice into each of the pumpkins before placing candles inside of them. 

“Would you like to do the honors?” Ben asked, passing her the lighter. 

Rey carefully stuck the lighter into the mouths of each pumpkin, lighting the candles one at a time. 

“Oh! They look so good! Just like the ones in the movies!” She gushed, wrapping her arms around his waist in a hug. 

“Best damn jack-o-lanterns in New York.” He laughed, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, holding her closer. 

“So, did I pass pumpkin carving 101?” Rey asked, tilting her face up towards his, still smiling. 

“With flying colors.” Ben hummed, bending to capture her lips in another kiss that quickly grew heated and ended with Rey’s legs wrapped around his waist. 

Ben loved giving Rey these experiences to make up for lost time and if he had his way, he would be doing it for the rest of his life. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you all enjoyed this little fic!  
Let me know what you think! I love reading your comments!
> 
> Follow my socials for updates!  
Tumblr: artiowritestrash  
Twitter: CaitlinTaylorM1


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